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PM, CHP LEADER PUT HEADS TOGETHER ON KURDISH ISSUE
Today's Zaman
June 10 2012
Turkey
The leader of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met with main opposition Republican
People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıcdaroglu on Wednesday in what
was the first attempt to jointly discuss the Kurdish question.
The meeting, which took place at the AK Party headquarters in Ankara,
was initiated by Kılıcdaroglu, who recently requested a meeting with
the prime minister to submit his party's suggestions for a solution
to the Kurdish impasse. Reports said the CHP presented a 10-item plan
to the governing party.
The report, which details a 10-point plan, includes as its first
point a plan for the establishment of a parliamentary committee to
concentrate on the Kurdish question. The suggested name for this
committee is the Societal Reconciliation Commission, which the CHP
says in its report should function according to the principles of
equal representation and reconciliation.
AK Party Deputy Chairman Bulent Gedikli told Sunday's Zaman that
it was highly significant that the two leaders met to discuss the
Kurdish question. "The mechanism that will be used for a solution is
as important as the roadmap that will be followed in the search for a
solution." Speaking to reporters after the meeting, CHP Deputy Chairman
Faruk Logoglu said the meeting was "positive" and "productive," adding
that officials from the AK Party highlighted during the one-hour
meeting that the contribution of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP)
is key to moving forward with establishing a commission composed of
all four parties in Parliament.
Logoglu said his party is prepared to do what is required as part of
the initiative, which he said is solely aimed at a resolution of the
problem. He added that the points in the proposal are not immutable
and could be subject to change if needed.
Logoglu told reporters that the most important next step is to form
a four-party commission and then proceed to establish a group of wise
men that will largely deal with sensitive issues, mediation or talks.
June 2, Saturday
Burhan Kuzu, the head of the parliamentary Constitution Commission
and a deputy in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party),
said recent claims about a parliamentary plan to release suspects
imprisoned for being part of the Ergenekon and Balyoz (Sledgehammer)
coup cases do not reflect the truth.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused embattled Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad of being dishonest, noting that days dominated by peace
will hopefully come to Syria soon. "When there are mass killings in
Syria, Bashar al-Assad blames foreign sources. Assad has never engaged
in politics in his country until now. The latest elections allegedly
put the cards on the table but those were not election results. As the
elections were not fair, no one was interested in participating or in
the results, as the results disclose Assad's interests," Erdogan said.
June 3, Sunday
The specially authorized Ankara 12th High Criminal Court arrested
former Land Forces logistics commander retired Lt. Gen. Kamuran Orhon
of being part of the Feb. 28, 1997 process which forced a civilian
government to resign, popularly known as the "postmodern coup."
A large number of women gathered in İstanbul's Kadıköy district to
protest against a government plan to restrict abortion in Turkey. Last
week, Prime Minister Erdogan declared that his government was preparing
a draft bill on banning abortion. The declaration sparked anger from
women's rights groups and several female deputies, initiating a debate
on the government's right to intervene in people's choices. Women in
Ä°stanbul decided to stage a protest and created a page on Facebook
titled "Abortion is a right, which we do not discuss.
Our bodies belong to us." Around 9,000 people pledged to attend the
protest. Protestors carried banners that criticized the AK Party
government's anti-abortion stance.
June 4, Monday
A voice allegedly belonging to Gen. Bilgin Balanlı, a prime suspect
in the ongoing trial of the Sledgehammer coup plot, was heard
saying that the prime minister and president would pay for jailing
former and active members of the military as part of the ongoing
investigations, in a recording released anonymously. The recording,
uploaded on dailymotion.com, was disseminated through the Twitter
account 'ses_tv.' The voice, allegedly belonging to Gen. Balanlı,
said, "The price for all that has happened will be paid either at the
presidential or prime ministerial level." The voice claimed that the
government would issue a general amnesty for coup plot suspects and
went on to say that he and other military personnel would make the
government pay for past grievances. "It is impossible for these people
[members of the government] to apologize. They will either have to
release us, prolong the trial period or issue a general amnesty."
A special sergeant and a major were killed when they stepped on an
improvised explosive device laid by terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party
(PKK) militants in the Lice district of Diyarbakır. The two soldiers
who were killed in the explosion were Spc. Sgt. Abdullah Acıcı and
Maj. Ercan Kurt, according to Diyarbakır Governor Mustafa Toprak. A
military funeral ceremony was planned for the slain officers.
The head of Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate Mehmet Görmez added
his voice to ongoing debates over the issue of abortion in Turkey,
saying parents had no authority to end the life of a fetus, who has
its own right to life. Görmez shared his views on the much-debated
abortion issue during a meeting of provincial muftis in Sakarya.
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arınc said the government has submitted
a bill that aims to revise an article of the Turkish criminal code
that gives special authority to courts and prosecutors to investigate
organized crime and coup plots. Arınc added that the bill, authored by
the Justice Ministry and approved by the Cabinet, had been submitted.
Prime Minister Erdogan had announced last week that the government
was working on an amendment to Article 250 of the Code on Criminal
Procedure (CMK), which gives prosecutors special authority and allows
them to investigate terrorist groups and crimes organized against
the constitutional order.
June 5, Tuesday
A report into the death of Col. Kazım Cillioglu, who allegedly
committed suicide in 1994, revealed that the gun found next to the
colonel's body was not the gun that caused his death. Cillioglu was
found dead at a residential military complex in the eastern province
of Tunceli, where he served as commander of the local gendarmerie
brigade. His death was ruled a suicide. The report also noted the
position of the gun did not indicate suicide.
An article on popular news website Yahoo News has drawn widespread
criticism from Turkish theologians for its blasphemous content and
manipulation of fundamental Islamic principles. The controversial
article, written by Donald Pennington, refers to Islam in its headline
as "dangerous" and "outdated" and suggests that it should be rejected
by all. Referring to the sentencing of a Kuwaiti man, Hamad al-Naqi,
to a 10-year jail sentence for insulting the Prophet Muhammad, it
describes Islam as a threat to freedom of expression.
The West Study Group (BCG), a clandestine group formed within
the military during the days of the Feb. 28, 1997 military coup,
not only categorized individuals within Turkey according to their
religiosity and ideology but also Turks abroad, Today's Zaman has
learned. The BCG, which categorized politicians, intellectuals,
soldiers and bureaucrats based on their religious and ideological
backgrounds, was formed within the military during the 1997 coup,
in which the military overthrew a coalition government led by the
now defunct conservative Welfare Party (RP). The BCG followed the
activities of several religious communities abroad and sent a report
to the Supreme Court of Appeals and the Constitutional Court about
these groups in order to ensure the RP would be closed.
Turkey is concerned about escalating tension along the border
separating Azerbaijan and Armenia, saying that Ankara is closely
following reports that five Azerbaijani and three Armenian soldiers
have been killed in clashes. "We are following the developments with
deep concern," spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Selcuk Unal told
Today's Zaman when asked about Turkey's position. Tensions have flared
along the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. According to Azerbaijan's
defense ministry, five of its soldiers were killed in clashes with
Armenian troops.
June 6, Wednesday
A key meeting between Prime Minister Erdogan and the main opposition
Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıcdaroglu on
the perennial Kurdish issue took place in a mainly "positive
atmosphere," but the main opposition party must seek consensus
among other opposition parties for a successful outcome, officials
from both parties said. Speaking to reporters after the meeting,
CHP Deputy Chairman Faruk Logoglu said the meeting was "positive" and
"productive," adding that officials from the ruling AK Party emphasized
during the one-hour meeting that the contribution of the Nationalist
Movement Party (MHP) is key to moving forward with the establishment
of a commission composed of all four parties in Parliament.
The case of the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrank Dink
was sent to the Supreme Court of Appeals. The local court delivered
its controversial ruling in the murder case on Jan. 17, acquitting
all 19 suspects of charges of membership of any kind of criminal
organization. The court's decision drew widespread ire in Turkey as
people took to the streets to protest the verdict. After the court
released its detailed ruling this week the case file, including
records of the hearings, petitions and defense of both sides, was
sent to the Supreme Court of Appeals.
Turkey reacted cautiously to a Russian proposal on Syria articulated
by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov calling for a broader international
meeting in which Turkey and Iran would be included. Turkish diplomatic
sources, who spoke to Today's Zaman on the condition of anonymity, have
said they were already informed that Russia would come up with such a
proposal, and that Turkey is, in principle, ready to take part in any
initiative that seeks a solution to the humanitarian crisis in Syria.
June 7, Thursday
A Constitutional Court rapporteur submitted a report of his conclusions
regarding an appeal filed by the main opposition party to annul a law
on presidential elections, stating that incumbent President Abdullah
Gul's tenure is seven years and that he can be re-elected.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has called on the
international community to come together to fight against terrorism,
saying, "We cannot fight against terrorism unless we join hands." US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, EU foreign policy chief Catherine
Ashton and other senior international politicians visited Turkey to
attend the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF).
Contrary to the concerns of many people in Turkey, Prime Minister
Erdogan said a planned revision to Article 250 of the Code on
Criminal Procedure (CMK), which gives special authority to courts and
prosecutors to investigate organized crime and coup plots, will not
weaken the hand of Turkey in its fight against coups and coup plotters.
The parliamentary Constitutional Reconciliation Commission accepted
a bill excluding military actions from the jurisdiction of ombudsman
inspections, despite protests from opposition deputies.
June 8, Friday
Turkey's ninth president and former Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel
told a parliamentary commission tasked with investigating past
coups that he regrets the 1960 military coup and that Turkey would
be different if the coup hadn't happened, but also that he did not
think the intervention that took place in 1997 was illegal.
Ruling AK Party Ä°stanbul deputy Nimet BaÅ~_, who is also presiding
over the Parliamentary Commission to Investigate Coups and Military
Memorandums, told reporters that Demirel had stated to commission
members that coups are "bad in every way." He reportedly regretted
the 1960 coup and said Turkey would be in a different situation if
it hadn't undergone the coup and hanged Prime Minister Adnan Menderes.
An additional indictment prepared into the 2007 Zirve Publishing
House murders, in which three people who sold Christian literature
were brutally killed, points to retired Gen. HurÅ~_it Tolon as the
prime suspect in the case.
A voice recording published online on Friday allegedly features a
colonel telling young officers that all those responsible for jailing
military coup suspects will eventually be executed.
Today's Zaman
June 10 2012
Turkey
The leader of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met with main opposition Republican
People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıcdaroglu on Wednesday in what
was the first attempt to jointly discuss the Kurdish question.
The meeting, which took place at the AK Party headquarters in Ankara,
was initiated by Kılıcdaroglu, who recently requested a meeting with
the prime minister to submit his party's suggestions for a solution
to the Kurdish impasse. Reports said the CHP presented a 10-item plan
to the governing party.
The report, which details a 10-point plan, includes as its first
point a plan for the establishment of a parliamentary committee to
concentrate on the Kurdish question. The suggested name for this
committee is the Societal Reconciliation Commission, which the CHP
says in its report should function according to the principles of
equal representation and reconciliation.
AK Party Deputy Chairman Bulent Gedikli told Sunday's Zaman that
it was highly significant that the two leaders met to discuss the
Kurdish question. "The mechanism that will be used for a solution is
as important as the roadmap that will be followed in the search for a
solution." Speaking to reporters after the meeting, CHP Deputy Chairman
Faruk Logoglu said the meeting was "positive" and "productive," adding
that officials from the AK Party highlighted during the one-hour
meeting that the contribution of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP)
is key to moving forward with establishing a commission composed of
all four parties in Parliament.
Logoglu said his party is prepared to do what is required as part of
the initiative, which he said is solely aimed at a resolution of the
problem. He added that the points in the proposal are not immutable
and could be subject to change if needed.
Logoglu told reporters that the most important next step is to form
a four-party commission and then proceed to establish a group of wise
men that will largely deal with sensitive issues, mediation or talks.
June 2, Saturday
Burhan Kuzu, the head of the parliamentary Constitution Commission
and a deputy in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party),
said recent claims about a parliamentary plan to release suspects
imprisoned for being part of the Ergenekon and Balyoz (Sledgehammer)
coup cases do not reflect the truth.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused embattled Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad of being dishonest, noting that days dominated by peace
will hopefully come to Syria soon. "When there are mass killings in
Syria, Bashar al-Assad blames foreign sources. Assad has never engaged
in politics in his country until now. The latest elections allegedly
put the cards on the table but those were not election results. As the
elections were not fair, no one was interested in participating or in
the results, as the results disclose Assad's interests," Erdogan said.
June 3, Sunday
The specially authorized Ankara 12th High Criminal Court arrested
former Land Forces logistics commander retired Lt. Gen. Kamuran Orhon
of being part of the Feb. 28, 1997 process which forced a civilian
government to resign, popularly known as the "postmodern coup."
A large number of women gathered in İstanbul's Kadıköy district to
protest against a government plan to restrict abortion in Turkey. Last
week, Prime Minister Erdogan declared that his government was preparing
a draft bill on banning abortion. The declaration sparked anger from
women's rights groups and several female deputies, initiating a debate
on the government's right to intervene in people's choices. Women in
Ä°stanbul decided to stage a protest and created a page on Facebook
titled "Abortion is a right, which we do not discuss.
Our bodies belong to us." Around 9,000 people pledged to attend the
protest. Protestors carried banners that criticized the AK Party
government's anti-abortion stance.
June 4, Monday
A voice allegedly belonging to Gen. Bilgin Balanlı, a prime suspect
in the ongoing trial of the Sledgehammer coup plot, was heard
saying that the prime minister and president would pay for jailing
former and active members of the military as part of the ongoing
investigations, in a recording released anonymously. The recording,
uploaded on dailymotion.com, was disseminated through the Twitter
account 'ses_tv.' The voice, allegedly belonging to Gen. Balanlı,
said, "The price for all that has happened will be paid either at the
presidential or prime ministerial level." The voice claimed that the
government would issue a general amnesty for coup plot suspects and
went on to say that he and other military personnel would make the
government pay for past grievances. "It is impossible for these people
[members of the government] to apologize. They will either have to
release us, prolong the trial period or issue a general amnesty."
A special sergeant and a major were killed when they stepped on an
improvised explosive device laid by terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party
(PKK) militants in the Lice district of Diyarbakır. The two soldiers
who were killed in the explosion were Spc. Sgt. Abdullah Acıcı and
Maj. Ercan Kurt, according to Diyarbakır Governor Mustafa Toprak. A
military funeral ceremony was planned for the slain officers.
The head of Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate Mehmet Görmez added
his voice to ongoing debates over the issue of abortion in Turkey,
saying parents had no authority to end the life of a fetus, who has
its own right to life. Görmez shared his views on the much-debated
abortion issue during a meeting of provincial muftis in Sakarya.
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arınc said the government has submitted
a bill that aims to revise an article of the Turkish criminal code
that gives special authority to courts and prosecutors to investigate
organized crime and coup plots. Arınc added that the bill, authored by
the Justice Ministry and approved by the Cabinet, had been submitted.
Prime Minister Erdogan had announced last week that the government
was working on an amendment to Article 250 of the Code on Criminal
Procedure (CMK), which gives prosecutors special authority and allows
them to investigate terrorist groups and crimes organized against
the constitutional order.
June 5, Tuesday
A report into the death of Col. Kazım Cillioglu, who allegedly
committed suicide in 1994, revealed that the gun found next to the
colonel's body was not the gun that caused his death. Cillioglu was
found dead at a residential military complex in the eastern province
of Tunceli, where he served as commander of the local gendarmerie
brigade. His death was ruled a suicide. The report also noted the
position of the gun did not indicate suicide.
An article on popular news website Yahoo News has drawn widespread
criticism from Turkish theologians for its blasphemous content and
manipulation of fundamental Islamic principles. The controversial
article, written by Donald Pennington, refers to Islam in its headline
as "dangerous" and "outdated" and suggests that it should be rejected
by all. Referring to the sentencing of a Kuwaiti man, Hamad al-Naqi,
to a 10-year jail sentence for insulting the Prophet Muhammad, it
describes Islam as a threat to freedom of expression.
The West Study Group (BCG), a clandestine group formed within
the military during the days of the Feb. 28, 1997 military coup,
not only categorized individuals within Turkey according to their
religiosity and ideology but also Turks abroad, Today's Zaman has
learned. The BCG, which categorized politicians, intellectuals,
soldiers and bureaucrats based on their religious and ideological
backgrounds, was formed within the military during the 1997 coup,
in which the military overthrew a coalition government led by the
now defunct conservative Welfare Party (RP). The BCG followed the
activities of several religious communities abroad and sent a report
to the Supreme Court of Appeals and the Constitutional Court about
these groups in order to ensure the RP would be closed.
Turkey is concerned about escalating tension along the border
separating Azerbaijan and Armenia, saying that Ankara is closely
following reports that five Azerbaijani and three Armenian soldiers
have been killed in clashes. "We are following the developments with
deep concern," spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Selcuk Unal told
Today's Zaman when asked about Turkey's position. Tensions have flared
along the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. According to Azerbaijan's
defense ministry, five of its soldiers were killed in clashes with
Armenian troops.
June 6, Wednesday
A key meeting between Prime Minister Erdogan and the main opposition
Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıcdaroglu on
the perennial Kurdish issue took place in a mainly "positive
atmosphere," but the main opposition party must seek consensus
among other opposition parties for a successful outcome, officials
from both parties said. Speaking to reporters after the meeting,
CHP Deputy Chairman Faruk Logoglu said the meeting was "positive" and
"productive," adding that officials from the ruling AK Party emphasized
during the one-hour meeting that the contribution of the Nationalist
Movement Party (MHP) is key to moving forward with the establishment
of a commission composed of all four parties in Parliament.
The case of the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrank Dink
was sent to the Supreme Court of Appeals. The local court delivered
its controversial ruling in the murder case on Jan. 17, acquitting
all 19 suspects of charges of membership of any kind of criminal
organization. The court's decision drew widespread ire in Turkey as
people took to the streets to protest the verdict. After the court
released its detailed ruling this week the case file, including
records of the hearings, petitions and defense of both sides, was
sent to the Supreme Court of Appeals.
Turkey reacted cautiously to a Russian proposal on Syria articulated
by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov calling for a broader international
meeting in which Turkey and Iran would be included. Turkish diplomatic
sources, who spoke to Today's Zaman on the condition of anonymity, have
said they were already informed that Russia would come up with such a
proposal, and that Turkey is, in principle, ready to take part in any
initiative that seeks a solution to the humanitarian crisis in Syria.
June 7, Thursday
A Constitutional Court rapporteur submitted a report of his conclusions
regarding an appeal filed by the main opposition party to annul a law
on presidential elections, stating that incumbent President Abdullah
Gul's tenure is seven years and that he can be re-elected.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has called on the
international community to come together to fight against terrorism,
saying, "We cannot fight against terrorism unless we join hands." US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, EU foreign policy chief Catherine
Ashton and other senior international politicians visited Turkey to
attend the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF).
Contrary to the concerns of many people in Turkey, Prime Minister
Erdogan said a planned revision to Article 250 of the Code on
Criminal Procedure (CMK), which gives special authority to courts and
prosecutors to investigate organized crime and coup plots, will not
weaken the hand of Turkey in its fight against coups and coup plotters.
The parliamentary Constitutional Reconciliation Commission accepted
a bill excluding military actions from the jurisdiction of ombudsman
inspections, despite protests from opposition deputies.
June 8, Friday
Turkey's ninth president and former Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel
told a parliamentary commission tasked with investigating past
coups that he regrets the 1960 military coup and that Turkey would
be different if the coup hadn't happened, but also that he did not
think the intervention that took place in 1997 was illegal.
Ruling AK Party Ä°stanbul deputy Nimet BaÅ~_, who is also presiding
over the Parliamentary Commission to Investigate Coups and Military
Memorandums, told reporters that Demirel had stated to commission
members that coups are "bad in every way." He reportedly regretted
the 1960 coup and said Turkey would be in a different situation if
it hadn't undergone the coup and hanged Prime Minister Adnan Menderes.
An additional indictment prepared into the 2007 Zirve Publishing
House murders, in which three people who sold Christian literature
were brutally killed, points to retired Gen. HurÅ~_it Tolon as the
prime suspect in the case.
A voice recording published online on Friday allegedly features a
colonel telling young officers that all those responsible for jailing
military coup suspects will eventually be executed.